The present invention relates to a safety ski binding and, in particular, a ski binding providing an improved heel support.
A typical heel support is described in Austrian Pat. Publication No. AT-A2-296,111. This publication discloses a jaw body, which is rotatably mounted on a pivot in the heel support. A support plate and a sole support are linked eccentrically to the pivot. This design does not take certain geometrical requirements of a ski binding into account. For example, the axis of rotation for a ski boot slipped onto the support plate is not in alignment with the shinbone axis. As a result, the maximum admissible torque of the shinbone cannot be accurately adjusted. In addition, conventional ski bindings generally comprise many parts, thereby requiring excessive time and expense to construct.
German Pat. Publication No. DE-A1-34 45 760 discloses a pivot on a base plate in which the pivot is disposed between a front jaw and a heel support. In this device, the support plate is designed as a continuous sole plate and is pivotally mounted. However, this sole plate is designed in two parts, the first part being mounted at the pivot and the two parts of the sole plate being capable of being pivoted jointly about the pivot. The second part is designed in frame-like fashion relative to the first part and can be additionally pivoted upwardly about a transverse axle mounted in the first part. This design of sole plate is expensive and requires a lot of time and effort to construct.
German Pat. Publication No. DE-A1-23 40 420 discloses control means for pushing the support plate into a central position on the ski. In this publication, a heel support is provided with a spring disposed in the longitudinal direction of the ski and a roller which cooperates with a control cam. However, this heel support does not have any support plate on which the ski boot would be supported with its sole at least in the heel area. Instead, according to this design, a separate plate is provided to mount the heel support which pivots about a vertical axis. The heel of the ski boot is required to rest on a component that is rigidly attached to the ski. The control means thus determines only the pivoting capability of the heel support in the horizontal plate and the ski boot heel rubs against the component rigidly attached to the ski.
German Pat. Publication No. DE-A1-28 51 634 discloses a ski binding in which a roller of the control mechanism is disposed at an element located in parallel with the support plate designed as a base plate. However, the axis of this roller extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the ski, the roller cooperating with an exposed cam designed in V-shaped fashion. Due to this construction, impurities easily result from snow, ice and the like which prevent precise control of the ski binding.
In another publication, "Tech 60", Technical Manual of Tyrolia 1979, the use of spring force is disclosed in connection with control of a heel support.